ICC defends drive against chucking

The campaign was recently criticised by former testing facility

KARACHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has moved to allay concerns regarding its drive against chucking by issuing a statement after the University of Western Australia (UWA) had expressed its doubts over the methods, according to ESPNCricinfo.

The UWA was previously the only biomechanical testing centre for bowling action and recently questioned the reliability of the tests that have led to the banning of several players, with the number one bowler in ODIs, Saeed Ajmal, being the most high-profile of the lot.

The drive comes after recommendations by ICC’s cricket committee, which led to umpires being encouraged to report suspect actions, and the council has defended its decision. “Judging by the results of the testing, the cricket committee’s concerns have been vindicated," said the press release. Rejecting ‘any suggestion that bowlers are being targeted depending on which region they come from’, it stressed that the ‘concerns of the umpires relate solely to the bowling action of the player’.

The ICC also backed the accuracy and consistency of the procedures used during testing. "The ICC is confident that the standardised protocol, the quality control procedures and the extensive training that have been undertaken with the staff at the accredited facilities will allow this level of consistency to be maintained."

One of the UWA's concerns about the new testing protocol was the use of two-dimensional match footage to determine whether bowlers are bowling with the same action while undergoing testing. The ICC, however, made ‘no apology’ for this approach and will continue to do so.


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